45 Comments

1. gaylord fleming

   Posted December 27, 2009 at 8:00 AM

   well now holy moley there was a meeting and i knew nothing about it it may help if someone gets the word out ok here is my comment i want help in getting my ideas going before spring time i have done a trail run in 2009 and i feel we were sucessfull with it we did 70 gardens for local folks all over soutwestern pa and some of west va i feel i got a great idea i realize it may only be seasonal butt we are offering a good service and it helps poor to wealthly folks along the way so if someone in here can assist me please do from gaylord fleming 503 2nd street brownsville pa 15417 or email flemingpat@rocketmail.com thanks
2. Wanda Anker

   Posted April 21, 2010 at 11:59 AM

   Herald Standard 4/21/2010
   BROWNSVILLE – There are many steps that need to be taken before filming begins on a movie, but rarely does it involve moving thousands of books.

   An independent film crew from Pittsburgh wants to use the Brownsville Free Public Library as a sheriff’s office during the filming of the movie “Riddle” starring Val Kilmer, so moving books is definitely on the agenda. Librarian Meredith Hamilton said the library staff, a handful of high school students and some adult volunteers will handle the packing.

   “Moving 21,000 books is not going to be easy. We’ve rented a truck to store the books offsite,” Hamilton said. “Packing it up won’t be the hard part. It will be keeping it all organized.”

   While the actual move will take place over the weekend, preparations are already under way at the library, with 900 boxes in the basement awaiting assembly. Hamilton said she’s also been notifying patrons that the library will be closed from April 24 through April 30, and patrons will be given an extra week to read books checked out this week.

   “We’re going to talk to the post office to see if we can put our book drop near the mail box. Any books that are returned late because of the shoot, the fines will be forgiven,” Hamilton said.

   Hamilton said the film shoot is providing the library with some unexpected income, about $5,000 before the expense of moving the books.

   “It’s not a lot, but it will bring back about half of what we lost in state funding,” Hamilton said.

   Brian Hartman, the film’s producer who wrote the script along with directors Nick Mross and John Hartman, who is his brother, said he was attracted by the architecture of the library.

   “It’s just a magnificent building,” Hartman said of the library.

   Hartman said finding the right location for a shoot comes once an idea for a film and its characters is developed.

   “You start to look around and be inspired by the area that has the look that you’re going for, then you tweak your story around what inspires you visually,” Hartman said.

   Advertisement Hartman, who worked for a number of production companies in Los Angeles over the past 20 years, grew up in the Pittsburgh area and decided to return to the area a few years ago.

   “Brownsville has developed a reputation of being film-friendly,” Hartman said.

   “I’d encourage all production companies to consider this area.”

   Hartman said Brownsville’s vacant storefronts are not a problem for the movie. In fact, Hartman said it is Brownsville’s older downtown area that is a plus for filming.

   “I don’t consider it blight, I consider it hopeful. I consider it holding onto the past, to a more innocent time. Your main street is still intact. It would take just one little turn of events to bring it back,” Hartman said.

   Hartman said that although the film, a psychological thriller, is set in the fictional town of Riddle, it has to feel real to the audience.

   “Your town has to have a story and it has to have lots of stories, and this town does. When you make a film, your characters, your backgrounds, they have to have a history too. All of this is in all of us growing up. If we can capture that on the screen, fantastic,” Hartman said.

   Hartman said the 100-person cast and crew will be working throughout downtown Brownsville next week, including indoor filming at the library and at Fiddle’s diner.

   According to restaurant manager Mike Novotny Jr., Fiddles will be closed for two days for the filming, but he’s not certain which days the restaurant will be closed next week.

   Hartman said streets in the downtown area, including Market Street, will periodically be closed for short periods during the filming.

   “We’ll always make sure there are sufficient detours to get around,” Hartman said.

   The public is welcome to observe the filmmaking process, Hartman said.

   “We’ll be out in the open. The people will be able to see what we’re doing, as long as they aren’t in the shot. It’s a lot of fun and we want to share that,” Hartman said.
3. Wanda Anker

   Posted May 3, 2010 at 9:54 AM

   BROWNSVILLE – If the Brownsville Municipal Authority doesn’t take a $141,000 loan from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, it will lose some of the nearly $500,000 in grant money also being offered by the federal agency.

   That was the word Tuesday from Bill Johnson of Fayette Engineering. Authority member Henry Vulcan had raised the question last month, noting that the authority has some certificates of deposit maturing and the interest rate paid on the investments is lower than the rate being charged for the low-interest loan.

   The loan and grant money will be used for the installation of new sewer lines to serve 59 customers in the Swan Plan in Luzerne Township including the Patsy Hillman Park and the Telegraph and Bull Run Road areas.

   “Generally, first you spend local funds, then loans, then the grant money. If you don’t take the loan, the grant will be significantly reduced,” Johnson told the authority.

   Johnson also reported that the Luzerne Township Sewage Authority had received a $50,000 grant through the state Department of Community and Economic Development to be used toward the Swan Plan engineering fees. Johnson said the grant has to be used by June, so the engineering invoices for the next two months will be submitted to the Luzerne Township authority for payment.

   Johnson said the USDA would most likely schedule the public meeting about the sewer project, since it is the primary funding agency for the project. Johnson anticipates that the meeting will take place in the early summer months and will include information about the final sewer alignment, tap-in fees and the grant and loan programs available to the public to tap into the system.

   In other matters, Jamie Dinsmore of McClure and Wolf presented the authority with the audit report for the past year.

   “Your records are kept in very good shape,” Dinsmore said. “You are a small authority. The primary control in any organization is segregation of duties. That means multiple people are involved in any transaction. You do have some segregation of duties in your office, but you as board members need to be more involved, ask more questions than someone in a larger organization, because of the segregation issues.”

   Dinsmore noted that the authority’s largest liability is its debt from the Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority (PENNVEST) for construction of the new treatment plant several years ago.

   The authority’s solicitor, Ernest DeHaas, also pointed out that because of the upcoming USDA loan for the Swan Plan the authority’s articles of incorporation needed to be amended. The authority voted to extend its term of activity through 2055. Brownsville Borough Council must also approve the amendment.
4. Wanda Anker

   Posted May 3, 2010 at 10:01 AM

   BROWNSVILLE – Movie producer and screenwriter Brian Hartman finished filming the movie “Riddle” in Brownsville this week, but it’s not the end of his time in Fayette County.

   “It’s a beautiful area and the more we’re out here, the more we discover,” Hartman said. “I plan to spend the rest of my summer looking around Fayette County.”

   Hartman, who co-wrote “Riddle” with the movie’s directors, Nick Mross and John Hartman, who is his brother, said he has been inspired by the architecture in Brownsville, particularly the Union Station Building.

   “I love the look of it. The train station over there and other places have inspired me,” Hartman said.

   Hartman said the area has spurred ideas for future films he would like to make. Right now the task is to complete “Riddle,” a psychological thriller set in the fictional location of Riddle County, Pennsylvania.

   Hartman said the movie is a psychological thriller featuring Val Kilmer as the sheriff of Riddle County. It also features Elizabeth Harnois, who has numerous television credits, William Sadler, who was in “The Shawshank Redemption, Ryan Malgarini from the television series “Gary Unmarried” and other credits, and Diora Baird, with credits including the 2006 version of “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.”

   “She’s a very well-known actress in the horror genre,” Hartman said.

   The Brownsville Free Public Library has been transformed into the sheriff’s office. The movie’s art department skillfully covered the name of the library, which is carved into the stone façade, leaving what appears to be blank stone in its place.

   Librarian Meredith Hamilton is hoping to keep a memento of the movie at the library: the lettering on the front window declaring the building the Riddle County Sheriff’s Office.

   “I’d like to keep it for a while. We have trouble decorating that window,” Hamilton said.

   Hamilton is looking forward to seeing the final version of the movie to see how many features from the library are identifiable. A small piece of her family history and Fayette County history may or may not make it into the final production: her great-great-uncle’s safe, which sits in a corner of the office near the sheriff’s desk. The safe is stenciled with his name, E.L. Zearley, for Edmund Lee Zearley. Hamilton noted that he was one of the founders of Fayette Engineering.

   From Brownsville, the film crew moves to a set in Allegheny County. Hartman said the primary shooting would be done in May, followed by shooting the stunt scenes over the summer. He anticipates that the finished product will be ready by the end of September, with possible release in the spring or summer of 2011.

   “We have a major distributor on board. We’ve been very happy with what’s been presented to us,” Hartman said.

   Hartman said all of the publicity about the film and the exact timing of its release will be up to the distributor.
5. admin

   Posted June 9, 2010 at 10:55 AM

   BROWNSVILLE – Brownsville Borough Council Tuesday voted to hire three part-time police officers and adjusted the pay scale for all part-time officers.

   The employment offer was made to Joseph Miller, Justin Shultz and Scott VanDivner, all of whom passed a Civil Service test and completed an interview with the Public Safety Committee. A fourth candidate who passed the Civil Service test but did not respond to requests for an interview will remain on the Civil Service list but was not offered employment at this time.

   The hiring of the three officers is contingent upon passing background checks, agility testing, physicals and drug screening.

   Council was divided on increasing the pay for current part-time officers and establishing a tiered pay system for the new hires.

   Tracy Sheehan Zivkovich initially made a motion to hire the new officers at a rate of $10.25/hour, up from the current $9.95 paid to part-timers, with 25-cent an hour increases each six months, pending satisfactory reviews, until they reach a top rate of $12/hour.

   The current part-time officers would have received a pay raise from $9.95 to $11/hour immediately, followed by the 25-cent an hour raises each six months until reaching the $12 mark.

   Council voted 3-3 with Councilman Tom Bush, who is a part-time officer, abstaining from the vote. Voting for the motion were Zivkovich, Charlie Perkins and Teresa Hosler. Voting against the motion were Jack Lawver, James Lawver and John Hosler. Because the vote affected the police department, the mayor was not eligible to cast a vote to break the tie.

   Advertisement

   “I think you should be ashamed of yourselves, making these guys work their way up to $12 an hour when they’ve been here 10 years without a raise,” said Councilman James Lawver, a former part-time borough officer. “It shows me that you don’t care about your officers.”

   Teresa Hosler pointed out that if the tiered pay system hadn’t been presented, the veteran officers would be making the same amount as the new hires.

   James Lawver made a motion to increase the rate for the two veteran part-time officers to $12/hour, with no other increase during the current budget period, and establish the incremental pay raises for the newly hired officers, starting at $10.25/hour.

   “I want to be competitive with the other communities,” James Lawver said.

   Mayor Lester Ward said he did not agree with the possibility of raising the current part-timers above the $12 rate at the end of this year.

   James Lawver’s motion passed on a vote of 4-2, with Teresa Hosler, John Hosler, James Lawver and Jack Lawver voting for it and Zivkovich and Perkins voting against it.

   The pay raise goes into effect with the next pay period on June 16.

   Council also voted to authorize the Public Safety Committee to begin negotiations with Teamsters Local 491 for a new contract for the borough’s full-time police officers.
6. Wanda Anker

   Posted June 16, 2010 at 3:08 PM

   Brownsville council hires three part-time officers
   By: CHRISTINE HAINES Herald Standard

   BROWNSVILLE – Brownsville Borough Council Tuesday voted to hire three part-time police officers and adjusted the pay scale for all part-time officers.

   The employment offer was made to Joseph Miller, Justin Shultz and Scott VanDivner, all of whom passed a Civil Service test and completed an interview with the Public Safety Committee. A fourth candidate who passed the Civil Service test but did not respond to requests for an interview will remain on the Civil Service list but was not offered employment at this time.

   The hiring of the three officers is contingent upon passing background checks, agility testing, physicals and drug screening.

   Council was divided on increasing the pay for current part-time officers and establishing a tiered pay system for the new hires.

   Tracy Sheehan Zivkovich initially made a motion to hire the new officers at a rate of $10.25/hour, up from the current $9.95 paid to part-timers, with 25-cent an hour increases each six months, pending satisfactory reviews, until they reach a top rate of $12/hour.

   The current part-time officers would have received a pay raise from $9.95 to $11/hour immediately, followed by the 25-cent an hour raises each six months until reaching the $12 mark.

   Council voted 3-3 with Councilman Tom Bush, who is a part-time officer, abstaining from the vote. Voting for the motion were Zivkovich, Charlie Perkins and Teresa Hosler. Voting against the motion were Jack Lawver, James Lawver and John Hosler. Because the vote affected the police department, the mayor was not eligible to cast a vote to break the tie.

   “I think you should be ashamed of yourselves, making these guys work their way up to $12 an hour when they’ve been here 10 years without a raise,” said Councilman James Lawver, a former part-time borough officer. “It shows me that you don’t care about your officers.”

   Teresa Hosler pointed out that if the tiered pay system hadn’t been presented, the veteran officers would be making the same amount as the new hires.

   James Lawver made a motion to increase the rate for the two veteran part-time officers to $12/hour, with no other increase during the current budget period, and establish the incremental pay raises for the newly hired officers, starting at $10.25/hour.

   “I want to be competitive with the other communities,” James Lawver said.

   Mayor Lester Ward said he did not agree with the possibility of raising the current part-timers above the $12 rate at the end of this year.

   James Lawver’s motion passed on a vote of 4-2, with Teresa Hosler, John Hosler, James Lawver and Jack Lawver voting for it and Zivkovich and Perkins voting against it.

   The pay raise goes into effect with the next pay period on June 16.

   Council also voted to authorize the Public Safety Committee to begin negotiations with Teamsters Local 491 for a new contract for the borough’s full-time police officers.

   June 09, 2010
7. admin

   Posted July 12, 2010 at 12:37 PM

   Brightening Brownsville
   July 12, 2010 01:20 AM
   By: CHRIS HAINES
   Herald Standard

   Holtz, Ryan, Winegar team up to make downtown mural a reality

   BROWNSVILLE – Artist Allyson Holtz of Pittsburgh first considered a mural to brighten Brownsville several years ago when she was the art instructor at the State Correctional Institution at Fayette when it first opened, but at the time, there was no funding to carry out the project.

   “Obviously, this community is in need of a lot. I thought this would be a great opportunity to match up the inmates and the community. Then I left the job,” Holtz said.

   Holtz is now serving as the artist in residence in Brownsville and in several other communities throughout the state. She is working with the Brownsville Cultural Group organized by the Brownsville Area Revitalization Corp. (BARC) and former BARC president Norma Ryan.

   “I saw there were monies available through the Gateway to the Arts and the Benedum Foundation. Now there was funding available, so I contacted Norma about doing the project we had discussed so long ago,” Holtz said.

   According to Ryan, the 10-member committee includes local residents between the ages of 14 and 92. The group has been meeting weekly since March to discuss the project, determining the content and location of the mural. Ryan said the Gateway to the Arts program encourages multi-generational projects. The group also put the base coat of paint on five-by-five foot squares of parachute-like material that is being used for the mural.

   The local committee is working with the Art and Restorative Justice program at SCI-Fayette, which is now under the direction of James Winegar. Winegar said he has been working with nine inmates at the maximum-security prison to complete the project. The inmates rescaled the mural and are now painting each of the squares that will make up the finished 20×36 foot mural.

   “We are on a pretty tight time schedule because they have decided in the state to discontinue the art program as of the end of (June),” Winegar said.

   Winegar said the inmates have been excited to be working on a project to help the community.

   “This allows them to utilize their talents, utilize their efforts, and do something positive for the community,” Winegar said. “These guys are searching for something to do with their lives, and this is something very positive.”

   Winegar said that while his job is as an art instructor, he really teaches problem solving. Winegar said studies have shown that inmates who participate in programs in the arts while imprisoned are one third less likely to return to prison after their release.

   “Art specifically gives them an outlet to direct their emotions, direct their passions, and is very positive,” Winegar said.

   The new mural will be placed on the wall of the American Legion Post 295, facing Market Street in downtown Brownsville. The mural will look like an open book, with a reproduction of a painting of the Cast Iron Bridge as it looked in 1839 when it was built on the left-hand page and “Historic Brownsville Welcomes You” on the facing page. Winegar found the old painting of the Cast Iron Bridge in the National Archives.

   The new mural, which is expected to be assembled and put into place by the end of August, will replace an existing mural on the American Legion building.

   Ryan said the cultural group would like to work with students at Brownsville Area High School to restore the old mural and to find a new location for the restored painting.

   Committee member Kelly Tunney, 18, said he is looking forward to working on additional projects for the community.

   “This was just a great start. There is a lot we can do around here,” Tunney said.
8. admin

   Posted July 26, 2010 at 11:51 AM

   Mon Valley communities schedule second evening dinner cruise for Aug. 3
   By: CHRISTINE HAINES

   BROWNSVILLE – For the second year in a row Mon Valley communities are joining together for an evening dinner cruise on the Monongahela River.

   This year’s cruise will be held on Tuesday, Aug. 3, with the boat leaving from Charleroi Trustees Park. Participating in this year’s cruise are organizations from Brownsville, Charleroi, Monessen, Donora and Belle Vernon. Each community will be honoring a “distinguished citizen.”

   “We are honoring John Detisch in Brownville,” said Norma Ryan of the Brownsville Area Revitalization Corp. (BARC), the participating organization from Brownsville.

   Ryan said Detisch, who lives in Republic, is being honored for his contribution to the community.

   “He established Music on the Mon, which became Music and Reading on the Mon and which has now moved to the (Nemacolin) castle,” Ryan said.

   Ryan said she first met Detisch about seven years ago, when she was mayor of Brownsville. She had contacted musician Sammy Bill of Republic about holding concerts at the Brownsville Wharf.

   “He sent John Detisch to me. John had this marvelous idea that communities all along the riverfront could hold music along the river,” Ryan said.

   Ryan said the only problem was the hot sun beating down on the musicians and the audience for the late afternoon waterfront concerts. The venue was moved to the shaded grounds of Nemacolin Castle and Detisch began partnering with the Brownsville Rotary Club for story hours and free books for children in connection with the concerts.

   “It became a family event. It blossomed into more than we ever could have imagined,” Ryan said.

   Ryan said two of the concerts held this year have drawn large crowds. The Big Bedtime Story drew an audience of about 200 people, while the Chris Higbee concert attracted an audience of about 170 people. Ryan said she wished all of the free concerts did that well.

   “We average 50 to 100; it ought to be more. We’re always open to suggestions on how to promote these free concerts in the community,” Ryan said.

   This year’s cruise is being sponsored by BARC, the Donora Smog Commemorative Committee, Mon Valley Regional Chamber of Commerce, the Monessen Historical Society and TEAM Charleroi. For some 20 years the Greater Brownsville Area Chamber of Commerce had sponsored the cruise, but in recent years it became too difficult to sell enough tickets to bring the boat down from Pittsburgh.

   “For one community to do this, it is very overwhelming. By working together, each community is only responsible for selling 50 tickets,” Ryan said.

   Ryan said the dinner cruise also gives members of each of the participating communities an opportunity to discuss what is happening in their areas. This year’s cruise will be aboard the Gateway Clipper Fleet’s “Empress.”

   Passengers will begin boarding the boat around 6 p.m. in Charleroi. It will leave the dock at 6:30 for a cruise that will last approximately two and a half hours.

   Tickets for the cruise are available by contacting the BARC office at 724-785-9331.
9. admin

   Posted July 27, 2010 at 9:31 AM

   Renovated Melega Art Museum to hold open house
   By: CHRISTINE HAINES

   BROWNSVILLE – Brownsville Mayor Lester Ward and his wife Kasandra are hosting an open house Wednesday at the newly renovated Frank L. Melega Art Museum.

   The art museum is operated by the Brownsville Area Revitalization Corporation (BARC), as is the Flatiron Building Heritage Center.

   The two museums are now both on the ground floor and are interconnected.

   “Wednesday night is an open house mixer, showcasing the newly renovated space. We’ve invited the Brownsville chamber, elected officials and some other people who haven’t had a chance to see the space, including some foundation people from Pittsburgh,” said Dennis Cremonese, BARC’s executive director.

   Cremonese said the $200,000 renovation of the space took two to three years to complete and was funded in part through grants from Westylvania, Rivers of Steel, the Allegheny Foundation, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the state Department of Community and Economic Development.

   Cremonese said Lester and Kasandra Ward are on the BARC board of directors and agreed to host the reception from 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, serving as a bridge between the borough government and BARC.

   The Melega Art Museum was previously located on the second floor of the Flatiron Building. The new space is more accessible. Melega, who lived in West Brownsville, is noted for his artwork depicting the coal and coke industries. His work includes sculptures, drawings and paintings in a variety of media.

   The space is approximately 1,000 square feet that was rehabilitated and renovated and opened into the visitors center and museum. It’s a larger space to handle the artwork than we had upstairs,” Cremonese said.

   By connecting the two museums, Cremonese said BARC is able to offer more hours for visitors.

   “Now that we’re combined with the heritage center, we have a volunteer from 11 to 2 daily Monday through Saturday and 1 to 4 on Sundays,” Cremonese said.

   Cremonese said both museums can also be accessed by visitors any time the BARC staff is in the office by calling 724-785-9331.

   Anyone wishing to attend Wednesday’s reception is also asked to call that number to RSVP so appropriate refreshments can be planned, Cremonese said.

   The relocated museum will have its grand opening in September with regional art on exhibit as well as the art of Frank L. Melega.
10. admin

    Posted August 2, 2010 at 11:00 AM

    Brownsville & Newell Kennywood Day Thursday, Aug. 5th
    Sponsored by the Brownsville & Newell Volunteer Fire Depts.

    Ride-all-Day $23 each
    Seniors/Special Admission 55 and Older $13 each
    Tickets for sale at all Brownsville & West Brownsville Fire Stations.
    Monday, Aug. 2 at 1pm
    Tuesday, Aug. 3 at 1pm
    Wednsday, Aug. 4 at 1pm
    Thursday Aug. 5 until Noon at Northside Station ONLY.
    Newell Fire Station – Tuesday, August 3 and Wednesday, August 4, 6pm – 9pm
    Republic Fire Station – Wednesday, August 4, 6pm – 9pm
11. admin

    Posted August 3, 2010 at 2:02 PM

    Brownsville organizations unite to create Community Festival
    August 03, 2010
    By: CHRISTINE HAINES
    Herald Standard

    BROWNSVILLE – Activities will fill downtown Brownsville on Saturday, Aug. 7, as organizations in the borough join together to host the Brownsville Community Festival.

    The day starts with a parade at 10:30 a.m. and concludes with a concert by the local soft rock band Refuge from 2-4 p.m. Brownsville Borough Councilwoman Tracy Sheehan Zivkovich, who is one of the event organizers, said it’s all part of Brownsville’s Homecoming Week that includes Kennywood Day on Thursday and other events.

    “There are class reunions and everything going on in the evening, so we wanted to give people something to do during the day,” Zivkovich said.

    “It starts up on the North Side on Spring Street and makes its way through town,” said Tracy Sheehan Zivkovich, one of the organizers of the event.

    Zivkovich said the parade will include local bands, dance schools, classic and antique cars, the Rotary Club float, emergency vehicles and others.

    “We have a lot of great partners. The Rotary Club will have the street lined with flags, like they do for the holidays,” Zivkovich said.

    The downtown area from the Flatiron Building to Fiddle’s Diner will be blocked off for the daylong festival. Immediately following the parade, the action moves to the Brownsville Wharf Riverside Park, giving the antique and collectible cars time to get set up in the Market Street parking lot for an afternoon car show.

    “We’re having a diving exhibition at the waterfront, then the dance groups will be performing on the stage that will be across Bank Street,” Zivkovich said.

    Both Terry Sheehan School of Dance and Dee Dee’s Studio of Dance will be participating, as will the Brownsville High School cheerleaders, Zivkovich said.

    “At 1:30 p.m. we’ll have the Ducky race. We’ll drop the rubber ducks off the Inter-County Bridge,” Zivkovich said.

    The ducky race is a fundraiser for the Brownsville Area Revitalization Corporation.

    “The entire festival is a co-op between the borough and BARC,” Zivkovich said.

    Zivkovich said there will be numerous free activities throughout the day, including a climbing wall that will be set up on Brownsville Avenue, a petting zoo and various game booths for the kids. Horse-drawn carriages will provide historic tours of the town for a fee, Zivkovich said, with the 15-pasenger carriages leaving from the area near the Flatiron Building. The tours will take place between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., leaving every half hour or so.

    “Come hungry, there’s going to be a lot of great food,” Zivkovich said.

    Zivkovich said the community festival grew out of the Blueprints Community Committee, which views festivals as an economic development tool for communities.

    Funding for the festival is coming from a grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development.
12. admin

    Posted August 11, 2010 at 9:12 AM

    Board reviews building options
    By: CARLA DESTEFANO Herald Standard

    Brownsville Area School District buildings and grounds committee discussed options Tuesday regarding the construction of a new consolidation complex.

    Committee chairperson John Harvey said the matter has been narrowed down to two options to be presented to the school board at the next regular meeting set for Aug. 19.

    The first option would consist of building a new high school and middle school complex with a total maximum cost of $18 million.

    The second option would be to renovate and add to the existing Cox-Donahey Elementary School for an elementary complex with a maximum cost of $10 million.

    Harvey said either option would require a tax increase to cover the cost above the $7 million the district currently has in a renovation fund.

    “Whichever way we go, I feel comfortable that it’s a good decision,” Harvey said. “We do all agree that getting down to one building will save money.”

    Business manager Edward Yorke said for the first option, the district would need to approve a 1.13 mil increase next year to build an $11 million bond with the difference made up using the construction fund.

    “The payment would be about $250,000 annually on the $11 million bond,” Harvey said.

    If the board selects the second option, taxpayers would see a smaller increase to raise $3 million.

    “$3 million to renovate Cox-Donahey and add to it to fit all 600 elementary students in it is a good figure,” said Dr. Philip Savini, district superintendent.

    “And let’s not forget that the state still owes us $9 million,” Savini said.

    “We have a contract with the state. It’s just a matter of them holding up their end. That money should be coming.”

    The district had originally been issued a bond that equaled nearly $10 million to be used on a capital project.

    But lack of movement on using the money resulted in a loss to the district. After using some of the funds to make payments, the district now is left with $7 million to proceed with the complex plan.

    “This has been a long process. There has been a lot of decision making,” Director Andy Dorsey said. “We pretty much lost $3 million and it has become a situation where we just keep losing money, so we need to do something soon.”

    August 11, 2010
13. admin

    Posted August 11, 2010 at 9:14 AM

    Brownsville
    August 11, 2010
    By: CHRISTINE HAINES
    Herald Standard

    Council addresses pet waste

    BROWNSVILLE – Brownsville Borough Council is changing the way it is approaching enforcement of the pet waste ordinance adopted a year ago.

    In addition to the fines that can be levied under the ordinance, council is now adding education and supplies to its arsenal against the problem.

    Preparations for last weekend’s community festival pointed out the need for change, as street department employee Lew Hosler Jr. pointed out at the start of Tuesday’s council meeting. Hosler said that in preparing the downtown area for the festival, the street crew members were placed in a situation that was hazardous to their health as they trimmed the grass in Central Park because downtown apartment dwellers have not been cleaning up after their dogs as required by law.

    Five of the seven council members were present at Tuesday’s meeting, with councilmen John Hosler and James Lawver absent because of work. The council present voted unanimously to purchase pet waste disposal stations to be placed at Central Park, Fenwick Park and in the area of the Fifth Avenue playground. Each station will include a sign with the borough’s ordinance, biodegradable plastic bags and a receptacle for the filled bags.

    Councilwoman Teresa Hosler said the waste stations cost about $250 each. Council voted to spend not more than $1,000 for the waste stations and signage.

    It was reported that an estimated 1,500 to 1,800 people attended Saturday’s festival.

    “It’s really brought out a lot of pride,” said Councilwoman Tracy Sheehan Zivkovich. “A lot of people are asking if we’re going to do it again and others are saying they want to help. That’s the important thing; we engaged the community.”

    “Right after the parade the streets were lined shoulder to shoulder like all the old pictures from how it used to be,” said Jack Lawver, the council president. “It capped off Kennywood week. Brownsville Day is still one of the strongest if not the strongest community day that they have there. Our Kennywood Day is always centered around reunions, family reunions and class reunions.”

    In other matters, council also voted unanimously to promote Stanley Jablonsky to the position of police chief. Jablonsky has been the acting chief for the past several years. The promotion goes into effect Aug. 16, which is the start of the next pay period.

    Council also voted to spend up to $1,000 for time clocks for borough employees. Councilman Tom Bush, who is a borough police officer, abstained from the vote.
14. W. Anker

    Posted August 12, 2010 at 1:43 PM

    Brightening Brownsville
    By: CHRIS HAINES Herald Standard

    Holtz, Ryan, Winegar team up to make downtown mural a reality

    BROWNSVILLE – Artist Allyson Holtz of Pittsburgh first considered a mural to brighten Brownsville several years ago when she was the art instructor at the State Correctional Institution at Fayette when it first opened, but at the time, there was no funding to carry out the project.

    “Obviously, this community is in need of a lot. I thought this would be a great opportunity to match up the inmates and the community. Then I left the job,” Holtz said.

    Holtz is now serving as the artist in residence in Brownsville and in several other communities throughout the state. She is working with the Brownsville Cultural Group organized by the Brownsville Area Revitalization Corp. (BARC) and former BARC president Norma Ryan.

    “I saw there were monies available through the Gateway to the Arts and the Benedum Foundation. Now there was funding available, so I contacted Norma about doing the project we had discussed so long ago,” Holtz said.

    According to Ryan, the 10-member committee includes local residents between the ages of 14 and 92. The group has been meeting weekly since March to discuss the project, determining the content and location of the mural. Ryan said the Gateway to the Arts program encourages multi-generational projects. The group also put the base coat of paint on five-by-five foot squares of parachute-like material that is being used for the mural.

    The local committee is working with the Art and Restorative Justice program at SCI-Fayette, which is now under the direction of James Winegar. Winegar said he has been working with nine inmates at the maximum-security prison to complete the project. The inmates rescaled the mural and are now painting each of the squares that will make up the finished 20×36 foot mural.

    “We are on a pretty tight time schedule because they have decided in the state to discontinue the art program as of the end of (June),” Winegar said.

    Winegar said the inmates have been excited to be working on a project to help the community.

    “This allows them to utilize their talents, utilize their efforts, and do something positive for the community,” Winegar said. “These guys are searching for something to do with their lives, and this is something very positive.”

    Winegar said that while his job is as an art instructor, he really teaches problem solving. Winegar said studies have shown that inmates who participate in programs in the arts while imprisoned are one third less likely to return to prison after their release.

    “Art specifically gives them an outlet to direct their emotions, direct their passions, and is very positive,” Winegar said.

    The new mural will be placed on the wall of the American Legion Post 295, facing Market Street in downtown Brownsville. The mural will look like an open book, with a reproduction of a painting of the Cast Iron Bridge as it looked in 1839 when it was built on the left-hand page and “Historic Brownsville Welcomes You” on the facing page. Winegar found the old painting of the Cast Iron Bridge in the National Archives.

    The new mural, which is expected to be assembled and put into place by the end of August, will replace an existing mural on the American Legion building.

    Ryan said the cultural group would like to work with students at Brownsville Area High School to restore the old mural and to find a new location for the restored painting.

    Committee member Kelly Tunney, 18, said he is looking forward to working on additional projects for the community.

    “This was just a great start. There is a lot we can do around here,” Tunney said.

    July 12, 2010
15. admin

    Posted August 23, 2010 at 2:05 PM

    New teachers in BASD receive extra training
    By: CARLA DESTEFANO Herald Standard

    New teachers in the Brownsville Area School District received some extra training last week to become familiar with the existing programs and some new initiatives in the district this fall when students return to class on Tuesday.

    Dr. Philip Savini, district superintendent, said the 16 new teachers spent some time before the school bell officially rings getting acclimated with a variety of programs including a revamping of the social studies curriculum.

    Additionally, Savini said beginning this school year, elementary students may be able to partake in an elementary band that is currently being promoted by the district.

    “We are looking at that to see if we can work it into the schedule,” Savini said.

    On the secondary level, middle and high school students will have an opportunity to participate in a new robotics program. Students in these schools will also be exposed to more arts and technology through a STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) grant in the amount of $14,450.

    One of the biggest changes students will notice this school year in Brownsville is that a change to the dress code states that students in grades 6 through 12 are no longer permitted to wear any clothing with a hood attached during the instructional day. Although “hoodies” have become a staple in students’ wardrobe, several incidents in the district’s schools prompted the board to approve the change, citing that hoods attached to clothing can become dangerous to the health and safety of the students.

    Savini said that parents and students have been notified via letters this summer about the new change. A complete dress code is available on the district’s website.

    Savini said all district employees are gearing up from the start of school for the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) testing. During the school board meeting Thursday, Savini announced that the district made Adequate Yearly Progress for the 2009-2010 school year for a second year in a row.

    AYP is the state Department of Education’s determination of whether schools and school districts met targets in reading and math through the PSSA tests. The districts are also to show progress in raising student achievement as it relates to those tests. Under “No Child Left Behind (NCLB),” 100 percent of students are expected to score proficient or above on state tests by 2014.

    Students in grades three through eight and 11th-graders were tested in science, writing, reading and math. Within the participation and performance targets, sub-groups – such as those students enrolled in an Individualized Education Program (IEP), economically disadvantaged or are among a specific cultural group – must also meet the same proficiency levels.

    Districts must also meet attendance, participation and graduation targets set by the state.

    At Brownsville, Savini said the district as a whole exceeded participation, graduation and performance targets. Math scores rose 20 percent in the secondary schools.

    “We still need to work on our reading,” Savini said. “but it truly took a team to do it. You can see it clearly in the attitude of the staff and the students.”

    According to Savini, grades 3-5 met all indicators in math, but did not meet the reading targets. He said subgroups, however, improved from last year in both areas. Attendance was at more than 91 percent and graduation exceeded the target at 84 percent.

    He said the middle and high school is still in Corrective Action status, but has moved up to Corrective Action Making Progress.

    In other business, the board tabled a motion on Thursday to authorize the administration to proceed with a renovation and additions project at Cox-Donahey Elementary School to transform the structure into a complex for all elementary school students. The project was not to exceed $10,393,392.

    John Harvey, chairman for the building and grounds committee, said the board has decided to address the financial issues of the district before going forth with the project.

    On Thursday, the board also:

    n Approved the resignation of Susan Solomon, Central Elementary School principal.

    n Hired Lisa Harvella as elementary secretary.

    n Hired Tina Wasko as a part-time four and one half hours special education aide.

    n Tabled three motions to hire general aides, citing that the hiring practices were inconsistent.

    n Hired Jordan Kara as varsity head soccer coach, Harry Ruffcorn as assistant varsity soccer coach, James Peffer as varsity assistant cross county coach, Larry Landman as head middle school football coach, Amanda Mitchell as head middle school girls basketball coach and Scott Roebuck as assistant football coach.

    n Announced that due to the temporary closing of the Inter-County Bridge, Bus 11 going to the high school will be picking up students on Mill Road, Pike Mine and West Brownsville 15 minutes earlier than scheduled pick-up time. Bus 13 to Cox-Donahey will be picking up students on Jackson Street and West Brownsville 15 minutes earlier than scheduled pick-up time.

    August 23, 2010
16. W. Anker

    Posted September 2, 2010 at 1:49 PM

    Workers transform Brownsville into movie set once again
    By: CHRISTINE HAINES Herald Standard

    BROWNSVILLE – Brownsville is once again being transformed into a movie set, this time for the Lionsgate Entertainment film “Abduction.”

    The thriller features teen star Taylor Lautner. His character sees his baby picture on a missing persons website, kicking off his search for the truth behind his past.

    Crews Monday removed the mural from under the Inter-County Bridge to keep it from being damaged during the filming. Norma Ryan of the Brownsville Area Revitalization Corp., which originally commissioned the mural, said she was unaware that it was being taken down. Ryan said she had been told that it would simply be covered during the movie. Now that the mural has been taken down in sections, Ryan said there have been plans to have the mural restored by the art department at California University of Pennsylvania and she will see if it will be easier for that work to be done now that the mural is down.

    Fiddle’s diner also closed as of Monday and will remain closed for the filming through Sept. 12, according to a sign in the window.

    Tuesday, two 48-foot long tractor-trailer trucks full of equipment and electrical cables came into town, wiring the area between Bank and Arch streets for when the film crews arrive later this week.

    “We have to be ready for any eventuality, any move they would like to make. We’ll have two generators. Our options are to have a lot of generators and a few cables, or a lot of cables and a few generators. We have the cables, so that’s what we do,” said Russ McCormack of Pittsburgh, the rigging electric best boy for the movie.

    “What the best boy does is take care of all the men and equipment, make sure we have the right lights and stuff for each location,” said Jimmy Keys, the rigging gaffer for “Abduction.”

    As the rigging gaffer, it is Keys’ job is to oversee the setup.

    “I tell the guys where the lights are going, where to put the generators. I coordinate where we’re going to be rigging one day, where we’re going to be striking,” Keys said.

    Once shooting starts in Brownsville, Keys said the rigging crew will go back to the last shoot location, PNC Park in Pittsburgh, and strike the equipment set up there.

    When shooting in Brownsville finishes, the rigging crew will be back to pack up the equipment again.

    “It’s interesting, though it’s a lot of hours. A short day is 12 hours. You can work anywhere from 18 to 20 hours,” Keys said.

    While Keys came from the West Coast for the production along with other key staff members, many of the crewmembers were hired regionally. Jim Bruner is one of the truck drivers for the equipment trucks, hired out of the Pittsburgh Teamsters union. Bruner, who is retired, said he’s enjoyed working on the movies being shot in southwestern Pennsylvania.

    “I’ve worked on a bunch of them. I worked last year on “Unstoppable” with Denzel Washington. We were all over for that one; everywhere there were railroad tracks. I worked on one in 2000, when the “The Mothman Prophecies” was shot. I know the guy in charge and he calls me now and then,” Bruner said.

    Bruner said he was called earlier this summer to work on “I Am Number Four” but he was leaving for vacation and had to turn the job down. He was glad to get called for “Abduction.”

    “The best thing is to show up and do what you’re told, and they’ll call you again. It’s the same thing I taught my sons: go to work and do your job. If they make money, you make money,” Bruner said.

    Bruner said he’ll keep driving trucks for the movies as long as they are shooting in southwestern Pennsylvania.

    “As long as it lasts in the city and I get a shot to work it, I’m going to work it. I’m in a good position; I’m retired. I just put my pension on hold. If it dries up, I just go back to my retirement,” Bruner said.

    Keys said it’s likely that more films will be shot in this region.

    “All the states out here are giving these tax breaks, so the work is moving out of California,” Keys said.

    Keys said his last movie shoot was in Boston. Last year he was in the Pittsburgh region for “The Next Three Days,” which was shot in part on the Brownsville-to-Uniontown section of the Mon/Fayette Expressway.

    “Abduction” will be shot on a closed set, meaning no members of the public will be allowed to observe the filming as it takes place in Brownsville and West Brownsville over the next week or so.

    September 01, 2010
17. W. Anker

    Posted October 13, 2010 at 10:34 AM

    Hospital receives $1 million grant
    By: THE HERALD-STANDARD Herald Standard

    The Brownsville Tri-County Hospital may be able to reopen its doors again.

    On Tuesday, officials announced the hospital received a $1 million grant from the state Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program to pay for construction and redevelopment of the hospital.

    State Rep. Peter J. Daley, D-California, said the grant will help the hospital become financially stable so that it can reopen again in the future.

    “When the hospital closed, there was an outcry in the community, and we have realized the importance of trying to get the hospital financially back on track to reopen,” Daley said. “To begin the process of reopening the hospital, past debt must be satisfied. Doing so would help attract and leverage private investment, thereby allowing the hospital to lease space and return to operation.”

    The hospital closed its doors for the second time in 2009. Since then, the 94-year-old hospital has been tangled in bankruptcy proceedings.

    Daley said the grant will help bring jobs and much-needed medical care to the Brownsville area.

    “It is estimated that 100 jobs would initially be created by this grant, and the benefits to the community in urgent care will be met once again. With the reopening of the hospital, patients will not have to travel half an hour or more for the nearest medical care. That time is crucial in emergency situations,” Daley said.

    Frank Ricco, chairman of the hospital’s board of directors, said he is appreciative of Daley’s efforts.

    “We appreciate all that Rep. Daley has done for us. It has been a big help. We will be using the money to repair the roof and upgrade the heating plant. Those are our two main concerns at the moment.”

    Bob Logue, volunteer member of the hospital board, said Brownsville-area residents have been hoping the local hospital would reopen.

    “We were absolutely thrilled with the news of the grant for the attempts to re-establish health care on the campus of the Brownsville Tri-County Community Hospital,” Logue said. “Seventy-thousand people are waiting for good news that this hospital can reopen, and this grant funding is a major first step in the effort to accomplish our goals.”

    October 13, 2010
18. admin

    Posted October 28, 2010 at 11:10 AM

    Crime Stoppers offer tips to Brownsville
    By: CHRISTINE HAINES Herald Standard

    BROWNSVILLE – Members of Fayette County Crime Stoppers offered some tips to the Brownsville Neighborhood Watch Wednesday evening.

    “You’ve got to stand up and protect your neighborhoods and protect your families,” said Fayette County Crime Stoppers President Jerome Venick.

    The local Crime Stoppers organization was formed in January, but spent the first part of the year raising money so it would be able to provide rewards for tips leading to arrests and convictions, or the return of stolen property, Venick said. Venick said Crime Stoppers is independent, working with whatever law enforcement agency is appropriate to handle the tip received.

    “Our sole purpose is to help the police to solve crimes,” Venick said.

    Venick said the maximum reward offered is $1,000, with the actual amount handed out based on the quality of the tip received.

    “Some of the tips we’ve received so far are things like ‘they’re selling drugs on the corner of Market Street.’ That probably wouldn’t qualify for a reward,” Venick said. “The more information you give us, the easier it is.”

    Venick said all tips to the hotline, 1-888-404-TIPS, are given a case number.

    “You can remain anonymous, but if you want the monetary award if your tip results in an arrest or recovery of property, we need some way to get in touch with you,” Venick said.

    Venick said the rewards are even given out in cash so the tipster’s identity is never revealed, even to members of the Crime Stoppers.

    “We don’t care who you are, we just want the tips. We don’t make any effort to find out who you are and we don’t say how much is paid out,” Venick said.

    Venick said the Fayette County Crime Stoppers does not hand out rewards to victims of crimes, instead referring all victims to the investigating officer for their case.

    Venick said Crime Stoppers is working with the Herald-Standard and will soon have a website available through http://www.heraldstandard.com that will allow people to provide tips through the Internet.

    Brownsville police Chief Stanley Jablonsky also addressed the members of the Neighborhood Watch, reminding them to be cautious this weekend as their children celebrate Halloween.

    Trick-or-treating will take place in the borough Saturday from 1-3 p.m., immediately following the noon Halloween parade. “Watch what your kids do and where your kids go. Have an adult with them. If they get something that you’re uncomfortable with, bring it to us and we’ll check it out. Try to remember where they got it,” Jablonsky said.

    Jablonsky also cautioned against putting out boxes from televisions and other high-ticket items received as Christmas presents without bagging them, since it lets potential criminals know what is available inside the house.

    October 28, 2010
19. admin

    Posted November 5, 2010 at 9:38 AM

    Old Brownsville Bridge reopens
    Herald Standard

    The Old Brownsville Bridge, also known as the Inter-County Bridge, reopened Thursday afternoon following a $1.5 million, six-month rehabilitation project. The bridge spans the Monongahela River and connects Brownsville in Fayette County to West Brownsville in Washington County. It was scheduled to reopen at the end of August, but the opening was delayed when the painting contractor fell behind schedule.

    November 05, 2010
20. W. Anker

    Posted November 10, 2010 at 10:22 AM

    Brownsville pushed to back high-speed rail plan
    By: CHRISTINE HAINES Herald Standard

    BROWNSVILLE – Rail operations could one day play an economic revitalization role in Brownsville, as a citizens advocacy group continues to push to have the borough serve as a railway hub.

    Bob Terry, project manager for the group, Rail Interoperability Group (RIG), asked the council Tuesday to adopt a resolution supporting the group’s high-speed rail proposal under the National Rail plan that is being developed.

    “We’re advocating the future of rail. We need to get the word out. There’s a national plan going on out there to do for rail what Eisenhower did for the interstate system in the ’50’s,” Terry said.

    Terry said one way he’d like to see rail travel promoted is to have an excursion train between Pittsburgh and Morgantown for the 2011 University of Pittsburgh-West Virginia University football game. Terry also suggested an excursion train could be considered for Brownsville’s annual Kennywood Day.

    “AMTRAK has to provide communities with equipment and crews to get people interested in excursions,” Terry said.

    Terry noted that Brownsville is the midpoint of the rail line between Pittsburgh and Morgantown and that it is also the one point where the two major rail lines on the east coast, CSX and Nortfolk Southern, come together.

    Council voted to support the RIG proposal to have Brownsville added to the state rail plan.

    In other matters, council also voted to partner with the Greater Brownsville Area Chamber of Commerce and surrounding communities in requesting a meeting with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation to have a truck pull-over on Route 40 West entering Brownsville. Council President Jack Lawver said the posted truck speed is 20 mph, but few trucks obey it.

    Jack Lawver said there had been a pull-over in the past, but the signs were removed when work was done on the roadway and were not replaced.

    “It’s a major safety issue up there. Some people don’t even attempt to slow down,” Jack Lawver said.

    Councilman James Lawver said the Community and Economic Development committee met recently with Fayette County Redevelopment Authority Executive Director Andrew French to discuss downtown properties recently acquired through eminent domain. James Lawver said that while French has been in contact with various historical organizations, it looks as if some of the properties will be demolished. James Lawver used the old Health Mart building as an example, saying French estimated it would cost $1.4 million to repair the building or about $100,000 to tear it down.

    James Lawver also noted that the downtown revitalization is a joint project of the borough and the redevelopment authority and all inquiries about the properties should be directed to one of those two agencies.

    Council also adopted a policy regarding the use of electronic equipment including telephones and computers, modifying the county’s policy as its own.

    Solicitor Melinda Dellarose also responded to a question raised last month as to whether the borough’s new police chief, Stanley Jablonsky, should be required to take the Civil Service exam for the position. Dellarose said that under the Borough Code, departments with fewer than three full-time officers do not need to follow Civil Service requirements. Brownsville currently has two full-time officers.

    James Lawver said he was concerned that the borough was opening itself to possible litigation from officers required to take the test since it was not required for the chief.

    November 10, 2010
21. admin

    Posted November 15, 2010 at 11:06 AM

    BARC will distribute toys to kids
    By: HERALD STANDARD STAFF Herald Standard

    The Brownsville Area Revitalization Corp. (BARC) is continuing the tradition of collecting and distributing toys to children 12 years old and under within the Brownsville School District.

    Parents/guardians wishing to receive gifts for their children must provide a valid photo-identification card to verify their address and a birth certificate for each child. Information must be brought to the Flatiron Building from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. through Nov. 30 on Tuesdays and Wednesdays only. Distribution of the toys will be from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 14.For more information, contact Blake Fisher at 724-785-9331 or blakef@barcpa.org

    November 14, 2010
22. admin

    Posted November 15, 2010 at 11:20 AM

    Local man writes book on early 20th century life in Brownsville
    By: CHRISTINE HAINES Herald Standard

    BROWNSVILLE – Early 20th century life, especially as it was lived in Brownsville and the surrounding area, is chronicled in a new book written by retired Brownsville Area High School history teacher Glenn Tunney.

    The book is taken from articles Tunney wrote for the Herald-Standard between 1998 and 2006. Reprints of his articles still appear on a weekly basis in the Herald-Standard.

    “When I was still writing the articles for the Herald-Standard, people would say to me that I should write a book or put my articles into a book. I joked that I was, that I was writing it three pages at a time, and that’s pretty much what I did,” Tunney said.

    “Looking Back: The Best of Glenn Tunney” was released in early October. The book contains about 300 pages divided into 20 chapters, with a 14-page index.

    “Just about anyone whose name is in the book is in the index,” Tunney said.

    Tunney said the book is the first of an anticipated four books made up of his past newspaper columns. He wrote 386 columns in all. Tunney said he’s tried to categorize the columns into those that are pure history, those that are pure nostalgia and not necessarily specific to the Brownsville area, and some which are a mix, including interviews with prominent area residents.

    “There are about six chapters that would be enjoyable to people from anywhere in the country because they wouldn’t have to be from Brownsville to relate to them,” Tunney said.

    Among those chapters is one on family meals, including creative menus from the lean years of the Depression. Some early 20th century games are recalled in another chapter.

    “Pocket-knife baseball, mumblety-peg, Mother May I – games that you wonder if anyone even plays them today, with computers and video games,” Tunney said.

    Some of the chapters are pure Brownsville: the origins of Fiddle’s Confectionary and the secret of its famous hot dogs, stories about favorite sled-riding hills and columns about the Pennsylvania Hotel on Brownsville’s South Side and the tragic fire that brought about its end.

    Other chapters feature interviews with key local figures such as long-time tax collector and sports writer Bob Petriello, businessman Ernie Magario, who once had four or five downtown businesses, and former Monongahela Railway official David Gratz, who documented the now-defunct rail company in his own book.

    While Tunney retains the copyright for “Looking Back,” he has given the Brownsville Area Revitalization Corporation (BARC) the exclusive right to print and sell the book and keep the proceeds for the first four years.

    Norma Ryan of BARC said the nonprofit group obtained a grant to publish the book and carry out several other projects to promote the community. The $25,000 legislative grant from the state Department of Community and Economic Development was used for the book, a mural project, the Music on the Mon concert series, local art exhibits, the Taste of Italy event, this year’s community festival and promotions for those activities.

    “We had talked about doing that book for years,” Ryan said. “It’s not easy to get a book published.”

    Tunney said Mechling Book Bindery of Chicora, which specializes in southwestern Pennsylvania history books, is publishing the book.

    “The number one goal here is not raising funds for BARC. The number one goal is there isn’t any history of Brownsville for the 20th century. Jesse Coldren was working on it, but no one knows what happened to it. He died in 1958 or ‘59. He was living in the Brashear house and when he died, within a week everything was cleared out. Any manuscripts he may have had were gone,” Tunney said.

    Coldren taught history in the Brownsville schools from 1901 until 1950, never missing a day either as a student or as a teacher, Tunney said.

    Tunney was also a teacher in the Brownsville Area School District, which, in large part, is how the columns came to be written in the first place.

    “In 1991 I had been teaching school for almost 20 years and I was looking for a new challenge in the teaching realm,” Tunney said. “I suggested to the principal that I teach a local history class. He went for it and I started to do some research.”

    There weren’t any local history textbooks, so Tunney developed his own, producing four of five pamphlets that were used by his students. At that time, the Rev. John Springer was writing a local history column in the Herald-Standard called “Your Brownsville and Mine.” When Springer took a hiatus for health reasons, Tunney approached the newspaper about writing a similar column. It went over well. Tunney said that at one point he was e-mailing the column to about 600 people a week who lived outside the area and couldn’t read it in the newspaper. Many of those people also ended up being contributors to the column, Tunney said.

    “Without the e-mails and all the people who sent me comments, I couldn’t have written half the columns,” Tunney said.

    For information on how to order the book, call BARC at 724-785-9331 during business hours.

    November 15, 2010
23. Issac Maez

    Posted November 18, 2010 at 8:13 PM

    The Zune concentrates on being a Portable Media Player. Not a web browser. Not a game machine. Maybe in the future it’ll do even better in those areas, but for now it’s a fantastic way to organize and listen to your music and videos, and is without peer in that regard. The iPod’s strengths are its web browsing and apps. If those sound more compelling, perhaps it is your best choice.
24. NY DMV

    Posted November 18, 2010 at 9:02 PM

    have a gut feeling that you might be right.
25. Albertina Chowdhury

    Posted November 18, 2010 at 10:24 PM

    Thank You for that the superb and informative article. I will be looking at in turn in several days for some far more updates.
26. vera wang bridesmaid dress

    Posted November 18, 2010 at 11:40 PM

    I read lots of weblogs recently as well as yours is among the greatest. I like reading through you — clear as well as well crafted. Your own page will go right to my book marks. I got some nice inspiring ideas reading this.
27. Club Penguin Money Maker

    Posted November 21, 2010 at 10:05 PM

    Awesome blog. Thank you! I put your feed on my RSS reader!
28. tuyen dung viec lam

    Posted November 21, 2010 at 11:33 PM

    Assets like the one you mentioned here will probably be very useful to me! I will put up a link to this web page on my blog. I’m certain my guests will discover that very useful. Big thanks for the helpful data i found on Area Information Anyway, in my language, there will not be much good source like this.
29. gold bridesmaid dress

    Posted November 22, 2010 at 1:35 AM

    Your blog article is extremely intersting and fanstic,simultaneously the blog theme is exclusive as well as ideal,congrats.To business energy.
30. career training

    Posted April 14, 2011 at 3:03 PM

    You present a lot helpful ideas! Perhaps I should think of trying to do this myself.
31. Tracy Khalaf

    Posted May 22, 2011 at 5:41 AM

    I really like this topic very much. It gives me inspiration to do something more. This is a website which is full of great interesting stuff and it is really great that you share your knowledge with us. Great job!
32. Prince Desiderio

    Posted October 11, 2011 at 12:12 AM

    Hmm it appears like your blog ate my first comment (it was super long) so I guess I’ll just sum it up what I wrote and say, I’m thoroughly enjoying your blog. I as well am an aspiring blog blogger but I’m still new to the whole thing. Do you have any suggestions for novice blog writers? I’d definitely appreciate it.
33. Słownik SlovoEd dla Android Włosko - Polsko – Włoski

    Posted October 11, 2011 at 12:29 AM

    Thank you, I have recently been looking for information about this subject for ages and yours is the greatest I have discovered so far. But, what about the bottom line? Are you sure about the source?
34. Foreclosure Help

    Posted October 11, 2011 at 1:57 AM

    Great post. Short sales can be such a headache, but with a good agent they can be a breeze! Good to see other agents know how to get them closed as well.
35. long island used cars

    Posted October 11, 2011 at 5:01 AM

    It is really a nice and useful piece of information. I’m glad that you shared this useful info with us. Please keep us up to date like this. Thank you for sharing.
36. pc casino games

    Posted October 11, 2011 at 5:26 AM

    I don’t even know how I ended up here, but I thought this post was great. I don’t know who you are but certainly you are going to a famous blogger if you aren’t already Cheers!
37. Canada Goose Jackor was one of the many species described. Canada Goose Jacka belongs to the Banta genus of geese. The specific epithet Canada Goose Expedition is a New Latin word meaning "from Canada". The first citation for the ' Canada Goose

    Posted November 10, 2011 at 7:15 AM

    I simply could not depart your website before suggesting that I really loved the usual information a person provide on your visitors? Is going to be back often to check out new posts
38. ugg boots sale

    Posted December 6, 2011 at 5:25 PM

    Now i’m extremely impressed together with your ability as a copywriter and even with the layout within your weblog. Is a paid theme or have you customize it yourself?
39. adf

    Posted December 20, 2011 at 7:08 AM

    I have found the technicalbusiness overall to generally be a challenging place to earn money. The industry continues to be punished everyday by way of the individuals going pertaining to the legislature really need to allow us.
40. DeLonghi EC155 Espresso Maker|DeLonghi EC155 Review

    Posted March 5, 2012 at 6:24 PM

    Hello there, I discovered your website by the use of Google while looking for a comparable subject, your site got here up, it seems to be good. I’ve added to favourites|added to bookmarks.
41. http://fastingforweightloss.net

    Posted March 18, 2012 at 5:12 PM

    I also believe thus, perfectly written post!
42. London To Gatwick

    Posted August 9, 2012 at 9:46 PM

    When someone writes an paragraph he/she retains the idea
    of a user in his/her brain that how a user can know it.
    Therefore that’s why this article is amazing. Thanks!
43. Allan Strohmeier

    Posted August 31, 2012 at 12:50 PM

    Have herpes or HPV Cure it now Naturally
44. sameday payday loans online

    Posted October 15, 2012 at 4:17 PM

    truly good pictures. article source
45. Cheapes

    Posted October 31, 2012 at 11:09 AM

    I haven’t checked in here for a while since I thought it was getting boring, but the last several posts are great quality so I guess I’ll add you back to my daily bloglist. You deserve it my friend